Overview & Reviews

A relative newcomer to the American marketplace, Hyundai is a Korean automaker with a product line that has improved greatly over the past decade. Hyundai cars and SUVs provide a high level of content for an affordable price, and are currently backed by one of the industry's longest warranties.

In 1947, Chung Ju Yung founded the Hyundai Civil Engineering Company. Mere months later, the outfit was bombed in the Korean War. However, the company regained its footing to distinguish itself as one of Korea's leading construction enterprises during the 1950s.

By the late 1960s, Chung had turned his attention to the automobile industry. The Korean government at that time believed that it made more sense to import vehicles than produce them domestically, and had made its opinion known. Still, Chung opted to follow his own convictions, and in 1967, he founded the Hyundai Motor Company.

The company quickly established an alliance with one of the industry's oldest automakers, signing a two-year contract with Ford in 1968 to share assembly technology. Hyundai's first car, the Cortina, was created from that partnership. The manufacturer's first car to be designed and built in Korea was the compact Pony (although the car was based on Japanese technology courtesy of Mitsubishi). The vehicle made its debut in 1974, and the following year Hyundai began exporting it to overseas markets.

Hyundai entered the U.S. market in 1986 with the introduction of its subcompact Excel. The car was an immediate hit, with its supreme affordability being a primary selling point. More than 100,000 Excels were sold stateside in the first seven months. By 1988, Hyundai had begun to produce cars using its own technology. The midsize Sonata was the first fruit borne of this endeavor.

Unfortunately, Hyundai's nascent image was soon tarnished by the poor durability and reliability of its vehicles. Sales tanked. However, rather than abandon the American market in the '90s, Hyundai chose to invest heavily in new product designs and improvements in overall quality and reliability. In 1998, Hyundai also purchased Kia, another Korean automaker, to expand its business and economies of scale.

It all started to pay off by the start of the new millennium, with the 2001 Elantra in particular showing massive improvements in overall quality, reliability and performance. Other models followed suit and the desirability of Hyundai cars increased sharply. Providing an extraordinarily long warranty period didn't hurt either.

Today's lineup is indicative of Hyundai's complete turnaround. Hyundai has a vehicle for nearly every segment, including the economical Accent subcompact, the popular Elantra compact, the midsize Sonata sedan (also available as a hybrid), sporty Genesis and Veloster coupes and a couple of stylish SUVs. Hyundai has also expanded into the entry-level and premium-level luxury sedan markets with its Genesis and Equus sedans. Having gone from being the butt of late-night TV jokes in the 1980s to a well-respected manufacturer of quality vehicles, Hyundai has created a very inspiring rags-to-riches story.

User Reviews:

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  You cant buy a better car than this - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By wayne - February 25 - 5:06 am

  This car has the best of everything that you want in a car.The other car companies and I mean all need to take a good look at this car.To sum it all up this car is SUPERIOR TO ALL

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  Its a Real pleasure - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Coupe - February 25 - 12:20 am

  This is my first sport car so I cant compare it to any other sport car, but I feel it needs more power. perfect handling (without a high performance suspensions and tires) The only bad thing about it that it’s very difficult to find accessories and modification for the body and the engine as well

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  Best Compact SUV - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Powman - February 23 - 1:26 pm

  Excellent compact SUV. More room than a RAV4. More features than any of the other compact SUVs. Easier to drive on the road than a Jeep Liberty. Off road capabilities? Dont know and dont care since I stick to paved roads. Love it and am still very happy with the purchase four months later.

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  An excellent value and excellent car! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By MikeB - February 23 - 6:00 am

  The car is clearly not under-powered by any means, in fact the V6 is quite fast. The styling and the comfort of the car are amazing! This car stacks up VERY favorably versus the Camry and Accord. Hyundai has truly become a quality auto manufacturer.

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  Over all great car! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By bkohs - February 23 - 1:19 am

  Ive been driving my GT for about 5 months now and have just under 3000mi on it. There have been zero mecanical issues as expected for such a new car. My wife was very suprised by me getting this car because Ive been into either sprots cars, or SUVs for a while. I eneded up test driving the GT just to pass some time while my wifes car was in for service. Thats all it took for me was one test drive. I came back later that day to trade in my Jeep. I opted for a 6spd manual with the touch and go package which added 17" wheel, keyless entry, push button start, and sport pedals. It also had the homelink mirror which has a nice auto dim feature.

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  Solid choice - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By fnt4grc - February 22 - 10:00 am

  From the very first test drive, I was sold. Im just really happy I drove all the competitors first to realize what a good choice I made. The car looks great inside and out. Smooth,quite and comfortable. Everythings standard equipment and the price, WOW! Up to $8000 less than the other name brands that are showing their age(dull and stodgy) no matter what trim level you get.

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  Hyundai you hit a Homer with the Sonata - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Barney - February 22 - 10:00 am

  Fun to drive---has more power then you might think for a four cylinder. Good acceleration and rides smooth on well paved highways. A little rough on bumpy roads. Power front drivers seat is great-- -could use one for the passenger side. My wife wishes she could raise her seat.

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  Hyundai better than Toyota - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jake Seim - February 22 - 3:56 am

  The Hyundai Sonata is a great car to buy. The ride is smooth, the miles per gallon are great, and the space/room on the inside are uncomparable. Im a tall guy, and after sitting in both the Camry and the Sonata, the Sonata is considerably larger on the inside. The trunk is bigger as well. The Sonata comes with 6 standard airbags, while the Camry comes with only 4. The safety rating from the government rates the Sonata higher as well. Korea has really come up in the car world since 1986. My wife and I love the car and feel the safety features are uncomparable for our 3 month old son.

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  Great Value - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mike - February 22 - 2:06 am

  After 2200 miles, I am very satisfied with this car. The 4 cylinder has plenty of power for my needs. Fuel economy is impressive for a car its size, 27-29 MPG, mixed driving, in an area with a lot of hills. Very comfortable, great legoom in the back seat for the kids. I will typically keep a car over 100k miles, so low lifetime cost of ownership is a big factor. The 2.4 liter engine has a timing chain, so there are no expensive TB canges to worry about. Auto transmission service interval up to 100k mi.

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  What a Great Buy - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By zmngbyu - February 21 - 9:03 pm

  Just a fun vehicle to drive. People ask questions all the time about this vehicle. People have told me that they are are impressed with this new look.